The present invention relates to the transfer of ink designs to uneven surfaces, such as cloth and fabrics.
In recent times, it has become very fashionable to wear designer-type T-shirts. Many processes have been developed to transfer ink designs to the cloth surface. Among these processes are those that use transfer laminates and webs, or inks of a thermoplastic nature.
In the manufacture of the design transfer laminates, inks having a permanent binder may be used to fix the ink to the laminate surface so that the ink will not smear or smudge. Typical ink compositions for these permanent inks comprise vinyl resin, pigments and plasticizers.
Design transfer inks are expensive, and some require special machinery to apply them to the transfer medium. These inks are usually affixed to the transfer mediums by techniques such as lithography, silk screening, flexography, rotogravure, letter pressing, web-feeding and sheet feed offset methods.
Once the ink is affixed to the transfer sheet, the design can be transferred to a T-shirt easily by applying heat to the back of the sheet, as with a household iron. In fact, a substantial market in store purchased decals has been created by individuals who desire to make their own designer-type T-shirts at home. Many designs are available, but there is still a need to be able to create one's own designs.
The present invention exploits the discovery of a process by which individualized decals can be created at home without expensive machinery, and without the use of expensive inks. Even for those who still prefer to purchase decals, the inventive process has produced a cost-reduced, transfer laminate, and method of applying same.
The invention provides a simple method of applying an ordinary ink, such as a typewriter or printer ribbon ink, to a meltable laminate sheet. Using, for example, a dot matrix printer and a home computer, one can create all kinds of decals for one's own use and enjoyment.
The invention uses the discovery that ordinary, oleic acid-based inks, common to dot matrix ribbons, can be applied to meltable laminate sheets by injecting them below the surface, where they will not smudge or smear. The inks applied by a dot matrix printer are forced below the surface of the laminate sheet by the hammer force of the dot matrix pin. The ink fluid becomes trapped within a cavity created in the sheet material by the injection force of the pin. The ink remains within the pin-injected cavity by means of the capillary and surface tension forces within such a small space, which entrapment is further aided by the roughness of the pin-injected surface.
In the above manner, anybody with a PC and dot matrix printer can make his own individualized decals. All that is needed are blank transfer laminate sheets, which can be purchased at a fraction of the cost of already printed decals.
Manufacturers of pre-printed decals can likewise sell their designs at lower cost using the inventive method of ordinary ink application.